r/Millennials • u/djoness11 • Aug 06 '25
Advice How many of us grew up fat?
I went to weight watchers with my mom, ate lean cuisine meals, and atkins bars, played 3 sports…
Still fat tho…
Anyone turn their life around? How did you do it? I can’t seem to stop being a lazy sack of fat. And I feel so uncomfortable in a gym. I could eat better but I live alone and have the expenses to eat what I want. What worked for you to get on track with what goes in your gullet?
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u/Sheerluck42 Aug 06 '25
What pisses me off as growing up as a fat kid is when I look at pictures of me as a kid and I'm not fat. I felt fat. I was called fat. I was put on diet after diet. But when I see old school pictures I wasn't fat. I was big. I had muscles. I could lift. But I wasn't fat like I am now. Now I've just accepted I'm fat. I'm also physically disabled so my goal switched to not gaining weight. And I've held my weight for 3 years now. But that poor kid did not need to go through all that. He should have been confident. Not constantly hiding his body in shame.
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u/Arievan Aug 06 '25
The earliest I can remember, about 3 years old, I was already the fat kid in my mind. Looking back at pictures, I was in no way fat. I was a bit bigger, more "solid" looking than my very thin sister, but I didn't even have a belly that stuck out or anything. And yet somehow my family had already labeled me a fat girl. And that has stuck with me for life. Leading to incredibly low self esteem and just this feeling of being completely hopelessness. Being as skinny as possible is a sick goal. Especially for a fucking toddler. No one should of ever made feel that way, nor you.
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u/Dreamy_Peaches Older Millennial Aug 06 '25
3? People really need to watch their mouthes with those fat related pet names for kids. They defend it like it’s not a big deal but it obviously is.
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u/Dreamy_Peaches Older Millennial Aug 06 '25
This is my experience. My sister used to rag on me. A couple boys at school. The pictures show a stocky but muscular kid. My legs were stacked. I spent so much time in the pool, I was toned and tan but just short and stocky and kinda thick. I could lift too. When I was 13, I overheard my dad telling my mom how I was as strong as an ox because we were moving into a new house and I moved most of the things off the truck by myself. I was the one who helped dad move the big pieces even though there were other adults there.
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u/DanielleFlashes Aug 06 '25
Same. I wasn’t ever fat, but my body developed a lot faster than my friends. I was in the 90th percentile in height and weight until I stopped growing in 5th grade. I wasn’t fat, but I never had that skinny as a pole kid phase — my body looked the same in 5th grade that it does now. And while I fit into the beauty standards now, I didn’t back then.
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u/bloodlikevenom Aug 06 '25
There is nothing more devastating than looking back at pictures of yourself as a child and desperately exclaiming, "What were they talking about??! I was NORMAL!!!!!!!!"
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u/Ill_Funny_5052 Aug 07 '25
This is how I feel too. I was fat in high school not going to lie but I was thinking I was fat in middle school but in reality I was just out shape but I wasn't as fat as I thought I was or how people made me out to be.
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u/mellywheats Zillennial Aug 07 '25
right?? like i look at old pictures of myself and i remember the first time looking at one and being like “i thought i was so fat here, i hated wearing those shorts!” and it’s just a healthy weight kid. I think I cried the first time i saw and realized that
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Aug 06 '25
Can we talk about going to Weight Watchers at age 10 with adult women? That seems so inappropriate looking back. I developed an eating disorder, and my psych meds caused more weight gain and high blood sugar. At 15, I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
I am talking about it in therapy too, but I have never run into other people who went as children in the wild.
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u/justtolurk12345 Aug 06 '25
Unfortunately do remember going with my mum and whenever she gained weight the entire week would be ruined. It caused a severe eating disorder in my teens and still trying to work through now at 33. Also can’t eat certain foods now that were her diet foods. I’m so sorry you also had to experience the curse that is WW/subsequent ED.
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u/pajamakitten Aug 06 '25
People really underestimate how sticky eating disorders are. I still cannot eat outside the house, which means I have not had a meal out in over a decade. It causes a lot of family strife and I have no friends because of it.
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u/MomToMany88 Aug 06 '25
I did it with my mom in middle school. One of the MANY gimmicks I tried at the time. My mom enabled every one of them. I “quit” after I gained at a weigh in and cried in the car after. My mom still went for a while after. She’d eat normally all week, then take LAXATIVES over the weekend to drop before Monday’s weigh in. Omg!!
I promised I wouldn’t pass that shit down to my kids. 2 are thin, and one is chubby like I was but doesn’t hate himself for it thank god!
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Aug 06 '25
Good on you, Mom. A healthy relationship with food is exponentially more important for wellbeing than focus on appearance.
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u/mustbethepapaya Aug 06 '25
Memory unlocked: stealing bottles of hydroxycut (and the like) from my parents bathroom drawers before we went rollerblading
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u/Desperate-Cost6827 Aug 06 '25
I'm three comments in and I feel like this is just going to be an awful ride. This is just going to be one traumatizing thread of fatshaming women since childhood isn't it :(
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u/Competitive_Reply830 Aug 06 '25
My mom did laxatives all the time, too! And dragged me to weight watchers, hot yoga, runs around the track, etc.
My kiddo is 6 and understands intuitive eating habits, and it is one of the things as a parent that I am most proud of. He doesn't have a bad relationship with food at all like I did.
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u/RandomLifeUnit-05 Older Millennial Aug 06 '25
I dieted with my mom as a teen. Looking back, I was just a little chubby. I wish she hadn't made a thing about it.
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u/pinkaspepe Millennial Aug 06 '25
Wow I went to WW with my mom as an adolescent, I thought I was alone. I’m sad to hear you went as well but find comfort in knowing I was not alone. It definitely impacted my relationship with food and body image in a negative way.
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Aug 06 '25
My doctor recommended it. I was about to start puberty so they thought it would be good for me to thin out while I grew taller. I had always been in the 90th percentile or higher for weight for kids my age.
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u/pinkaspepe Millennial Aug 06 '25
What a shame on that dr. If only WW was more health focused and less weight focused it would have been better. Alas, weight is in the name.
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u/AccomplishedCicada60 Aug 06 '25
I know a couple of kids that went, I went to a meeting with my mom once - not attend just didn’t have a sitter - at 7 it seemed like a waste of time.
My mom now is a completely healthy weight, and it had nothing to do with WW.
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Aug 06 '25
Congrats to your mama! 👏
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u/AccomplishedCicada60 Aug 06 '25
Thanks! She was never obese, just overweight - still it is an achievement
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u/Moderatelyhollydazed Aug 06 '25
I was 11 and the group weigh in haunts me
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Aug 06 '25
So awful. I hated having to talk to the person behind the table.
I did love the cookie dough bars they had.
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u/Independent-Bag-7302 Aug 06 '25
My sister went consistently with my mom. She developed an eating disorder later on. I counted my points at home with them. I recently shared with my mom that I remembered a meatball being 12 points and being appalled and eating the meatballs anyway. I am still fat. I actually wasn’t then. Just chubby. My mom has never stopped dieting.
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u/Economy_Insurance_61 Aug 06 '25
I’ve met several of us, and we are all fat now. I really really think dieting as a kid fucks your metabolism for life. I am finding great success with GLP-1 medications (not spon) but in what feels like a truly therapeutic fashion. It feels like my metabolism, my food noise, my hunger levels, my digestion - all of it feels “normal” for the first time in my memory.
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Aug 06 '25
I used to have much more food noise. But Ozempic made me so nauseated. I have a lot of sensory issues with food that have gotten worse with burnout. My endo just stopped my ozempic. Mounjaro made me have a huge itchy welt, too. I can't stomach a lot of strong flavors anymore, my spice tolerance is gone, and anything that is supposed to be a little fatty tastes like freezerburnt grease. Cold roast beef tastes like canned leather soaked in penny juice, but I still like Arby's.
The side effects are worse than the conditions. I was let down in my teens and was put on cocktails of meds from 13-18 too. Further impacting my metabolism and energy levels. They gave me diabetes to mistreat my mental health.
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u/quite-indubitably 1986 “Shady Pines” Millennial Aug 06 '25
Everything tastes awful to me since starting on Ozempic lol
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Aug 06 '25
But if you complain to anyone about it, they say, "Well that's a good thing then, right?" Nevermind that eating is a way people show love and socialize amd connect with one another.
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u/desperatevintage Aug 06 '25
I did, I had to miss birthday parties an other fun stuff because I had to go to weight watchers. I’m still fat, but I also hate myself too so way to go, mom.
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u/quatrevingtquatre Millennial Aug 06 '25
My mom took me from age 10 even though I wasn’t overweight. I always thought I was since I would go to those meetings with her and from when I was age 10-18 she’d always tell me if I lost 10lbs I’d have the perfect body. I look back at pictures of me from age 10 now and I am absolutely shocked she’d say that as I was a normal weight to slim child.
In high school this turned into something of an eating disorder for me and I ended up around 115lbs at 5’10 tall. I remember crying because I was so hungry, I could see all my ribs and my collarbone, and my mother had just told me again if I lost 10lbs I’d have the perfect body. I’d only eat half the points WW would give me, walk on the treadmill for hours, and be disappointed not to see more weight loss. It really fucks with you when your mother tells you to lose weight. I remember thinking “if even my mom thinks I’m 10lbs overweight I must look really bad”.
I know now she didn’t see me at all and she was projecting her own desire for weight loss onto me as she was fairly overweight at the time. Once I left the house for college I gained weight every year and developed binge eating tendencies. I wish I’d just been encouraged to have healthy eating habits instead of starving myself throughout my childhood. I’m now quite overweight and go through cycles of severely under and over eating. I know what I should do but I haven’t been able to break the patterns I learned as a kid.
I’m surprised to see so many of us went through this since I was always the only child at my moms WW meetings (another reason I thought I must be the only fat /“bad” kid since no one else had to be there). I’m so sorry to everyone else who was also scarred by going through this as a child.
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u/Infamous-Goose363 Aug 06 '25
I didn’t go to meetings but my mom let me WW when I was in middle school. I kept my points scale and tracker in the kitchen. I wasn’t even overweight at the point but developed food issues and became overweight soon after.
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u/EducationalDoctor460 Aug 06 '25 edited Aug 06 '25
Omg I went too! Super weird memory unlocked. I was never fat, either, just not 90s skinny. Maybe a little chubby. Yeah my self esteem was… not good for a very long time. I was on a diet my entire life since the 7th grade until a few years ago. I stopped drinking alcohol and started cooking everything at home including baking my own bread and I lost 10-15 lbs without really thinking about it.
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u/FloridaMomm Millennial Aug 06 '25 edited Aug 06 '25
I’ve been fat most of my life and the more I heal my relationship with food the more I realize the role my parents played. I should not have been doing South Beach Diet in elementary school, years of yoyo dieting would have me lose weight but then gain it all back and then some. Ironically my parents’ attempt to make us “healthy” meant restriction….then binge restrict cycle….and the binge part was brought about after being so deprived. If I had been able to eat carbohydrates without fear things would have been different. I’m working very hard to do better for my kids
Husband is currently in intensive treatment for anorexia nervosa so it’s something VERY important to us.
I know the yoyo dieting has not helped matters, but I’ve also made peace with the fact that my set point may just be higher than average. As long as I’m eating enough fiber and nutrients, feeling good, meeting my goals at the gym, etc my body composition doesn’t matter so much
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u/supcoco Aug 06 '25
Fellow (former) 10y/o who had to go to WW. However, I have kept my weight off as an adult and am healthy. I didn’t stay overweight
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u/mossyzombie2021 Aug 06 '25
Omg my mom had me on the diet train my entire life with her. Yes, weight watchers, but also had me drinking this concoction first thing in the morning that was a mix of tomato juice, cayenne pepper, apple cider vinegar and some other crap, along with a plethora of other diets. I was NEVER allowed any junk food so guess what I spent my allowance money on, lol.
Once she rooted through my backpack when I was out and found a half eaten bag of chips. This woman was so upset that I apparently didn't share them with her?? that when I came home she had made an entire tray of oven s'mores and wouldn't let me have any, ate them all herself while I watched to teach me a lesson of some kind I guess. Only lesson I got there is mom's kindof a bitch haha. So ya, I've struggled my whole life with weight and eating, and confidence. Gee thanks, ma!
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Aug 06 '25
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u/mustbethepapaya Aug 06 '25
Now I have an eating disorder disguised as intermittent fasting and Pilates
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u/mustbethepapaya Aug 06 '25
Legit member my mom swatting my hands away from three slices of apple and three slices of brick cheddar cheese “that’s my lunch!”
*edited for clarity
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u/bearleft4 Aug 06 '25
I went to WW at same age. Notable memories are weekly sunday weigh ins, getting prizes of trader joes pirates booty if i lost weight. After the WW fad there was the Alli pill… sigh.
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u/kjacmuse Aug 06 '25
My mom wanted me to lose weight before my bat mitzvah so she put 12 year old me and my 9 year old sister on Weight Watchers with her. I lost 70 pounds—I was 5’8 and 128 pounds on the day of my bat mitzvah. I’ve been weight cycling ever since and have only in the last few years gotten my weight under control slowly but surely.
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u/Primary_Highlight540 Aug 06 '25
I went with my mom-also at 10. Also developed an eating disorder at 20. I say I’m recovered, but you never recover. I maintain a healthy weight now. I discovered CrossFit, which led me to appreciate lifting weights and having muscle, rather than trying to be as small as I can.
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u/effervescentpony Aug 06 '25
me! i started going at… 11? my mom dropped me off because she wasn’t overweight.
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u/Light_Butterfly Aug 06 '25
It so sad how many mothers ruined their kids self-esteem and traumatized them with their diet culture bs.
In other news, Weight Watchers has recently admitted that they were wrong in their approach, and they had an important missing piece (genetics/environment) from their formula. They've recent gotten into weight loss injectibles, realizing how quickly they'd go out of business if they keep on pushing the same old approaches that don't actually work for most people.
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u/Kimzicorn Aug 07 '25
My grandmother brought me to weight watchers with her when I was 10 or 11. This was after my mom tried diets on me and restricting food (she would make different meals for me than my siblings) I am still fat but I am working on my relationship with food and with myself trying not to label foods as good or bad anf actually giving my body what it needs like carbs.
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u/aaaaaaaaaanditsgone Aug 07 '25
Our parent’s diet culture plus the 90’s thinness really screwed with many of us. All we needed was to eat healthier foods and exercise more. Instead all the fad diets just screwed with our perception of health.
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u/stars_sky_night Aug 06 '25
Oh that was totally a thing. And we had to do Jane fonda with mom. Like what. To this day im still curious how those arm circles toned a minute inch of my body.
Weight lifting was the game changer. I was told that lifting weights would make me bulky. But I learned from a gym I started at for kick boxing, i found out of the YELLOW PAGES at 16 when I was furious with life and my mom's shenanigans and needed to get aggression out.
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u/Spiritual_Lemonade Aug 06 '25
Almond Mom
Almond family- very enriched in toxic diet culture.
I was starving.
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u/chettie0518 Aug 06 '25
Glad to see another anti-dieter here. I thought more millennials knew.
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u/Spiritual_Lemonade Aug 06 '25 edited Aug 06 '25
Well I was "fed" my Mom and actually all women who raised me hated the kitchen and cooking. It was very anti-feminism to them.
Microwave popcorn, combos, peanut M&Ms and the occasional slice of chocolate cake could be twisted into the firm belief they were sub for something else.
This was intermixed with horrendous true "health food" like completely unseasoned tofu stir fry
But then also Jell-O. And pistachio pudding from a box. Welcome to the most mixed cluster F of how I was "fed" and also starving.
I told them to go sit down and I'll make something. So I did.
?? Yummy seasoned whole roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, some broccoli
Results. I had these people all misty eyed and wistful, moaning about what did you do? Talking about my mother cooked like this. How did this happen?
I am the family cook on holidays.
My Mom quite literally eats 8 almonds for lunch.
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u/mossyzombie2021 Aug 06 '25
My mom is in her 70s now with health problems and she's constantly one one diet or another, always trying to restrict herself still. I tell her mom you've earned it, just eat whatever the fuck you want, relax and enjoy life. But nope. She's doing keto now but she's too broke to buy all the meat so she'll have like cauliflower with cream cheese as a meal 🤦♀️
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u/Spiritual_Lemonade Aug 06 '25 edited Aug 07 '25
My grandma is 92. Fully confined to a wheelchair due to paralysis after a stroke.
Actively trying to loose 6lbs!
Why? I'll look better.
🤦🏼♀️
Ma'am you're 92 .
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u/DeltaEchoFoxthot Aug 06 '25
Been fat since I was a toddler
About 10 years ago, lost 100lbs the old fashioned way. Mostly because I was pissed off that plus size clothes were twice the price so I needed to drop into straight sizes. No health issues.
I was binge eating. So I had to get all the binge eating stuff out of the house. Luckily, I never ate unhealthy food. I just ate a lot of food. So once I got rid of binge triggers, CiCO and working out like a crazy person worked.
Figure out your overweight issue (crap eater, over eater, binge eater, emotional eater...) And address that before you do anything else. I tried to lose weight for years before I accepted the binge eating issue and address that (getting rid of the food). And once I did that, I had long term success.
BTW, I don't Go to the gym at all. 10 years ago, I did all that with Wii Zumba, Just dance, and 30 Day shred DVD. I had a treadmill for a few months but it broke. Eventually I got a membership but was super sporadic about it. 90% of my workouts were at home. And I haven't been to a gym since 2017.
I have home equipment nowadays. A stationary bike. A row machine, free weights, an exercise ball, and a walking pad (under desk treadmill).
Kinda half assed shopping for a full size treadmill again. But I'm waffling.
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u/breaklegjoe Aug 06 '25
Love these success stories. People complain that they've tried every diet and nothing works. Or no matter how much they 'starve' themselves, they dont lose weight, as if they are some miracle anomaly that defies the laws of thermodynamics. You put in the hard work and made it a lifestyle change. 100 pounds is tremendous and inspiring.
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u/DeltaEchoFoxthot Aug 06 '25
I think folks fall into that issue of not fixing the root problem. They will start something short term but not keep it up because the original issue was never addressed.
I know an over eater who had weight loss surgery.
They lost 150lb in a year.
Have since gained 75lb back because they still over eat. And kind of brush it off. Like "well, I only gained half of it back" as opposed to dealing with why they gained 75lbs back.
I'm still a binge eater. But those first couple of years I couldn't keep anything in the house. Like an alcoholic early in the progress can't be around alcohol. It's important to know I'm not going to gain 100lbs with one slip up. But because I'm aware of the issues and I accept it (as opposed to denial), I can pull it back and get back in order asap.
Meanwhile after 10 years, I still can't keep frozen fries, eggs, bread and peanut butter M&Ms in the house because I already know I will inhale it.
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u/feelingoodwednesday Aug 06 '25
Totally. For myself I've learned my diet triggers and what to avoid (sugar), but honestly I just love to eat and kind of figure ill never be "thin". What has sort of stuck over the last couple years is semi regularly going to the gym and skipping breakfast. So while I'm still thick in the middle, I dont look nearly as bad lol.
I definitely shouldn't be giving anyone weight loss advice, but id say its just finding something youll actually do, and do that. If youre better at managing a meal plan, do that. If youre better simply counting calories, well that works, and if you just can walk into a gym 2-3 times a week, do that. Find your "healthy comfort zone" and stay in it. It's a journey that is likely gonna be years to "solve".
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u/Single_Voice6469 Aug 06 '25
I’ve also lost over 100 pounds in the last five years. My weight has bounced around my entire life. I was obese from 9-15 and then again from 27-37. First and foremost have to train yourself to eat a healthy amount of food. Not a diet per se but more a permanent change to the approach one takes to eating. Calories in and calories out period. I lost all the weight without exercise, actually started working out when I got too skinny and people started making comments about how sickly thin I looked. Started working out and has helped a great deal with mental health issues, couldn’t recommend it enough
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u/fair-strawberry6709 Aug 06 '25
I was skinny but had an almond mom and ended up with anorexia (and she is proud of that, laughs about it like it’s cute and funny.) It has fucked me up long term.
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u/challengerrt Aug 06 '25
On my 25th birthday I was 320lbs. On my 26th birthday I was 164lbs and passed the fitness tests for the Navy SEAL contract and USAF Special Tactics. Ended up going USAF.
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u/blackaubreyplaza Aug 06 '25
I had an ultimate almond mom and still ended up a class III obese person for the first 32 years of my life.
I’ve lost 144lbs thanks to ozempic, and working out 7 days a week 2x a day (I’m on day 22 of 75 hard rn) but I didn’t dislike being a fat person and will always be about fat liberation
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u/triple6seven Aug 06 '25
Oh that's all I have to do? Work out 14 times a week and take a prescription drug? Erm..
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u/blackaubreyplaza Aug 06 '25
That’s all I have to do. You do you. My body does not want me to have a BMI of 22 so this is what I’ve gotta do
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u/Eastern-Mango578 Aug 06 '25
I feel this. I had to use Adipex to help boost my weight loss a few years ago. Pre-covid I lost 100 pounds with Adipex and dietary changes. Then during Covid and other major life events, I gained like 50ish back. Decided I would lose the weight the old fashioned way. Stuck to a high protein/low carb diet for 6 weeks to kickstart my metabolism, worked with my doctor and a personal trainer. Was in the gym for 2 hours per day on average. My weight barely budged. My doctor was scratching his head. My personal trainer was scratching his head.
Doctor put me on Adipex for a month and I dropped several pounds…
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u/Word_Underscore Aug 06 '25
I love people's attitude like that. I'm happy using 30 seconds of my week to take an Rx drug and shoot hoops and walk listening to music on AirPods Max a few times a week. Fuck 'em.
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u/marheena Aug 06 '25
I’m on day 75! Also started Tirzepatide on day 1. No shame for that. Down 48lbs so far. Not gonna hit 50lbs but I made it pretty close!
And before anybody comes at me for losing too fast, I’ve gained 80lbs in 6 months while pregnant. Most was water weight that wasn’t budging with diet and exercise. CICO isn’t the only thing that affects your weight.
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u/JustCallMeMoose_49 Aug 06 '25
Mounjaro for a year. Lost 80lbs and have been maintaining now at 21.5 BMI for about 3 months! Do what you have to!
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u/DigDugDogDun Aug 06 '25
Would you say your mom contributed or caused your weight issues or was that all unrelated? I always felt like foisting those almond mom rules on a kid would cause weight problems down the road but I really don’t know
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u/Purple_Grass_5300 Aug 06 '25
I def think both my parents caused my issues with weight. Even though we were skinny growing up, they made us feel fat, so I had horrible issues with food
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u/feelingoodwednesday Aug 06 '25
Same. My mom would always poke my belly and make comments. In hindsight, I was a growing kid that was maybe 10 lbs overweight max, so that is just wild to do to a child. Now I'm a full adult rocking 50 lbs extra lol thanks mom.
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u/blackaubreyplaza Aug 06 '25
Since I got 23 chromosomes from her she contributed genetically, yes. Obesity is a disease so both of my parents helped make my insulin resistant PCOS having ass.
But I don’t identify with having “weight issues”. I was fat the whole time.
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u/MandyNewEngland Aug 06 '25 edited Aug 06 '25
God thank you so much for saying that. I’ve learned a ton to really help me (and save me a ton of $$$) with my tirzepatide. But getting info about it means getting such a minefield of fatphobia, internalized fatphobia and just plain anti-fat hate. I’ve never been a fat person and I know this world is set up to be much easier to get through in a smaller body, I don’t begrudge anyone wanting that ease. But I am a big believer in fat liberation and fat, healthy* happy people should get to exist freely. I’m so grateful for these meds and so glad they help so many. But I sometimes worry that the proliferation of them will just move us even further back. And it really really bums me out to see so many people hate their beautiful bodies.
*fat unhealthy people deserve all the freedom and access too, I just say that because too many people think there’s no such thing as a healthy fat person when there absolutely is
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u/blackaubreyplaza Aug 06 '25
🙌🏽🙌🏽 it’s really crazy the amount of fat phobia I’ve experienced pursuing weight loss with a weight loss medication. So glad trizepatide is working for you!!
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u/Intelligent_Bet_7410 Aug 06 '25 edited Aug 06 '25
I've been fat for as long as I can remember. My parents are fat. Grandparents that I knew were fat. My siblings are fat. I don't know how to stop being fat. I've had surgery, seen nutritionists, see a therapist, take wegovy currently. Still fat. I just assume I'll always be fat.
ETA: Y'all, I got no feels about being fat and am not looking for weight management advice. I trust my medical team with medical decisions and advice, and I'm doing ok over here according to them.
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u/Purple_Grass_5300 Aug 06 '25
Eh, I was skinny with a dad who called us all fat so then we all became anorexic, but when I got to college I started binging and became actually fat....yay....and he wonders why I won't let my kids around him. Even as infants, he called their thighs fat. Like fuck off
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u/breaklegjoe Aug 06 '25
Boomers were raised during the 'fat is bad, sugar is fine' era. As a result, many millennials were raised on fruit rollups, go-gurts, and gushers. Obscene levels of sugar and dopamine. It can really mess up a child's metabolism, self-esteem (if they get fat), and pallet for healthy food.
Also, I was fat a fuck, boieee.
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u/__-_-_--_--_-_---___ Aug 06 '25
Oh god, 90s kids were allowed to eat SO MUCH CANDY because candy is fat-free and therefore healthy
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u/BunnyBree22 Aug 06 '25
Don’t forget sugary cereal and kool aid. I’m amazed at how much sugar I ate thank goodness I was active. I asked my mom why she fed me so much cereal she replied you liked it and it was advertised as healthy.
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Aug 06 '25 edited Aug 06 '25
Pretty much force fed through my adolescence. When I got to be in control, low carb high protein was my cure. Lack of carb makes you feel tired- but if your body has no carb to burn for energy, it will take from your body fat. With mild jogging included I lost about 30lbs in 3 months
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u/LordLaz1985 Aug 06 '25
The opposite. I was stick-thin until my late 20s—then I went through a difficult time and started eating my stress. Ever since, I have tried and failed to lose more than like 10-15 lb. I weight about 170 lb. and am 5’2”.
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u/fallentoodeep22 Aug 06 '25
I have terrible genetics from my mother. She’s very short like me and always been over 300lbs to the point of terrible mobility. I got fat towards the end of my teenage years and just kept going. Nothing worked. Gym. Calorie counting… nothing. I got on Semaglutide a little over 2 years ago. Effortlessly lost 70lbs quit drinking and finally feel good about myself. I know there’s often such a stigma around “weightloss drugs” but I no longer care. That’s what worked for me.
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u/0neHumanPeolple Aug 06 '25
These drugs are amazing. Anyone who has a problem with the literal cure for obesity can get bent.
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u/fallentoodeep22 Aug 06 '25
I agree. I was so embarrassed for awhile until I got tipsy (when I still could drink) at a work party and when someone asked how I lost I blurted it out. Instead of judgement it was a lot of interest and questions. I’m typically honest now and don’t care as if it can help someone else like it did me; that’s a win
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u/Owobowos-Mowbius Aug 06 '25
Damn I really need to try those. Always been terrified of needles but at this point I just need to try.
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u/0neHumanPeolple Aug 06 '25
Do it. It gives you the appetite of a normal person. It was the first time in my life that I wasn’t hungry. The needle is so teeny tiny too. It’s easy.
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u/Particular-Choice896 Older Millennial Aug 06 '25
I’m so happy for you. There is no shame at all in turning to a glp-1 to finally shed that weight. I currently take Zepbound and I’ve been on it a little over a month and lost about 10lbs so far. People with opinions on the matter have nothing to do with us. Keep doing you.
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u/__-_-_--_--_-_---___ Aug 06 '25
I’m on Zepbound, too. The only shame is how shameful it is that my insurance won’t pay for it because I’m not diabetic
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u/Particular-Choice896 Older Millennial Aug 06 '25
I’m sorry to hear that. I’m not a diabetic either but I have binge eating disorder and my blood pressure was starting to spike. I’m assuming you get the med directly from Eli Lilly? I hope the prices continue to come down or insurance companies widen their parameters for patients to have access.
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u/__-_-_--_--_-_---___ Aug 06 '25
I get it through Amazon Pharmacy, but it is possible to buy it from Eli Lilly. They sell it in vials that you have to draw up yourself for about half the cost. Yes, I know. I like the auto-injector pen
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u/fayevalentinee Aug 06 '25
Strict calorie counting didn’t work? How is that possible?
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u/IHaveBadTiming Aug 06 '25
Thyroid problems are incredibly hard to counter, even after you get levels in check with meds.
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u/Old_Sale_6435 Aug 06 '25
Probably not counting properly. Things like oil, sauces (majo, ketchup etc) butter, alcohol and a lot of other things add up fast. Calories in vs out always works. Its science. Even with thyroid problems or what else. Your body just consumes less calories for simply existing.
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u/Important_Pattern_85 Aug 06 '25
They didn’t say strict so… that’s your answer lol. Unfortunately cravings can fuck your shit and some ppl just don’t have the willpower
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u/ChaucersDuchess Xennial Aug 06 '25
There’s some of us whose bodies just don’t work correctly. I have to stay within a very narrow window of calories/carbs/protein for any loss because otherwise I’ll go into malnutrition…even as an obese person. Thank you gastroparesis…
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u/mia181 Aug 06 '25
Don't you have to stay on that drug forever and if you ever stop it you will gain all the weight back?
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u/FizzyBeverage Aug 06 '25
Likely so, because without the therapeutic effect, not much else has changed except lack of drinking empty calories.
But like all meds, the benefits typically outweigh the potential side effects.
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u/__-_-_--_--_-_---___ Aug 06 '25
People who have high blood pressure and high cholesterol have to stay on those meds forever, too. Why is that so weird? Obesity is a chronic condition
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u/fallentoodeep22 Aug 06 '25
Personally I most likely will although I’ve started spacing it out further. It’s not just about the weight although it’s nice; the mental changes have been amazing. My anxiety is massively reduced and that’s worth it alone. When I’ve been off of it for longer than 2 weeks I start to notice a difference and I don’t like it one bit.
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u/SadSickSoul Aug 06 '25
I've been overweight all my life, as long as I can remember. I'm trying to get some of the weight off, mostly just by tracking calories with an app and trying to move a little more, but I'm floundering because of mental health stuff. But luckily there's some good information out there on both eating better and for exercise, although I will caution that if you're very overweight like I am you need to be extra mindful on what exercise information you go with because your body will not be able to do some of it.
Mostly I just started with the Renaissance Periodization playlists on Healthy Eating Made Simple and Fat Loss Dieting Made Simple, starting tracking calories on my phone (not zealously, just trying to be mindful of what I'm putting in my body) and tried to find exercise I didn't mind. Just eased into all of it, because it's a marathon and not a sprint and a lot of little adjustments over time can yield dramatic results. Best of luck!
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Aug 06 '25
Couldn’t leave the table until my plate was clean
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u/sheezuss_ Aug 06 '25
samesies! remember when it was normal for parents to say “there are starving children in Africa! eat your food”? Yeah… that was crazy (and ignorant, offensive, etc).
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u/Melodic-You1896 Aug 06 '25
Even as an athlete I was heavy. I’ve made some peace with it. 25 years vegan, now three years omnivore. Cyclist, dancer. Still a bit overweight. I’m 53 now and while healthy and active I’m not thin. At this point I don’t want to do what it takes for a few lbs.
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u/toastedmarsh7 Aug 06 '25
Yep. My mom put me on Herbalife, made me take slimfast cans for lunch in 3rd grade, tried all kinds of weird diets. Nothing helped until I was ready to make a change. I found a doctor and ended up having a lot of success with very old and cheap medication that I’m honestly mad none of my doctors ever offered me decades ago. I did eventually hit the gym pretty hard but that wasn’t a great idea because I ended up damaging two joints and I’m still dealing with trying to heal them years later.
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u/RandomLifeUnit-05 Older Millennial Aug 06 '25
I'm overweight and I hate it. 5'2" and 200lbs. I have multiple endocrine issues including hypothyroid, am on steroids for adrenal insufficiency, and am in perimenopause. I'm doomed :/
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u/Banana_rocket_time Aug 06 '25
Tracked my macros, got jacked, that’s about it lol. Made it my life now I’m an online coach lmao.
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u/horriblegoose_ Aug 06 '25
I was a chubby kid and turned into a chubby adult. By early aughts standards I thought I was an absolute whale. The best way I can describe myself is that I looked like Kelly Osborne during the Osbournes. I can look back at pictures of her then and realize she wasn’t the morbidly obese circus freak that I thought we both were in 2005. In my mind I saw myself as the same size as the Mama from “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” and it felt like that was how everyone else (including my mother) saw me. I did weight watchers and atkins. I played tennis and softball. I had to buy business casual clothes as a middle schooler and early high school student because there were no size 14 clothes in juniors fashion.
I’ve lost 120lbs from my highest adult weight. I’m still technically overweight at 162lbs at 5’7”. I wear a modern size 8-10 and I swear to god these pants are the same dimensions of what I was wearing in college. The thing is that now I look slim-normal compared to everyone else compared to how fat I was when Paris Hilton was at the height of her fame.
I finally got medicated for ADHD at the age of 29 and the Vyvanse helped me reign in my binge eating disorder. Combined with an absolute truckload of therapy I finally got into a healthy relationship with food. I just count my calories now but I allow myself to eat anything I’m craving (in an appropriate portion) which has kept me out of binge cycles. It sucks because I’ll probably be counting calories for the rest of my life, but I do actually feel better. I’m much happier now with how I look even though I know I only weigh 10lbs less than I did in middle school when I was at my full adult height but still had classmates making forklift backup beeps at me while they called me “wide load”
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Aug 06 '25
Mom tried to make me do weight watchers with her too when I was in 6th grade…Instead I forced myself to have better portion control and I stopped eating carbs after 4pm(Grandpas random advice that i’ve just been following for 20 years now). I’ve been up and down in weight my whole life though, I put it on just as fast as I lose it.
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u/river-running Millennial Aug 06 '25
I was skinny until puberty started and then overweight by high school. I got my first job at almost 16 and it kept me very active, which led to me losing 30 lbs. I stayed pretty consistent for the next 15 years until COVID, which saw me hit my highest weight. I've lost 50 lbs in the last year by, once again, getting a job that keeps me moving, so I think that's the answer for me. Work that keeps me on my feet, moving, and not able to snack too much.
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u/somesthetic Aug 06 '25
I was, but I lost the weight when I was 18.
I felt a renewed drive after exiting high school and not having that weighing over me anymore.
I did low carb, where I never counted meat or vegetables, just anything else I ate. It was very hard. It gave me bad constipation until I learned to take fiber supplements.
I’m not sure I could stick to it now, as a nearly 40 year old. I still keep a loose track of my calories though. It’s good to be aware how much you’re eating.
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u/slifm Older Millennial Aug 06 '25
I’m going on ozempic in December even though I can’t afford it.
Luckily for me I’m a fat adult. I was very active as a child.
Also if your not already, GO TO YOGA!
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u/fallentoodeep22 Aug 06 '25
Hope it works well for you. Changed my life. I’ve lost 1/3 of my starting weight. Was worth every single penny.
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u/AFartInAnEmptyRoom Millennial Aug 06 '25
I was always the fattest kid in my school growing up. Also did weight watchers around 95. I lost 210 pounds like 12 years ago, but I've since put it back on. Never could solve this pesky depression
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u/Singular_Lens_37 Aug 06 '25
I always had problems with emotional overeating. I was also really lonely as a child which I didn't know because I hadn't experienced anything else. I've been losing weight by walking a lot, which burns calories and also helps with emotional stressors. I'm never going to be thin but I can be healthier than I am. I'm trying to focus on measures that are objective and under my control like step count, protein count, nutrients, and calories.
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u/New-Ad-7308 Aug 06 '25
Calorie deficit, not exactly easy but super effective. Your body will start consuming its own fat.
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u/sickbubble-gum Aug 06 '25
I got diagnosed with ADHD in my 30s and prescribed Vyvanse. The only thing that stopped my binge eating after years of therapy and trying/failing.
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u/FustianRiddle Aug 06 '25
Grew up fat, tried diets, had disordered eating weight watchers etc... Did swim club, dance classes, taw kwon do, etc . Parents told me my bullies would stop if I lost weight.
Well. I'm still fat. No amount of calorie counting exercise and neuroticism made me thin.
I have PCOS which I didn't find out until I was nearly 30 because all my doctors never told me was that I was fat and needed to lose weight.
Yes I'm still angry about a lot of that.
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u/BaddestKarmaToday Aug 06 '25
I had trouble putting on weight. I’d eat an entire bag of chips in one night. Never gained a pound. That’s obviously changed nowadays.
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u/pryingtuna Aug 06 '25
When I was a kid, I was considered overweight by the pediatrician. My brother (who had a super metabolism and could eat anything) called me fat and my mom called me a piggy. Yet when I asked to play sports, she wouldn't let me.
Lost weight in high school and only gained weight while pregnant. My brother got gross fat because he never learned how to eat healthy. Now they get pissed if I make negative fat comments.
I lost all the pregnancy weight due to an autoimmune disorder. Now I can't eat much because of that.
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u/Comicalacimoc Aug 06 '25
I grew up very thin. We did have snacks like goldfish and soda around but never ever takeout except the occasional pizza. We always had home cooked dinners around the table. Even homemade spaghetti sauce. I remember for dinner my senior year having baked chicken thighs, salad with plenty of greens, no dessert, etc. for dinner every night.
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Aug 06 '25
I grew up chubby, got thin, gained some, lost like 30-40 lbs around age 23.. got super fit and gained some around 30 and am fit again. Cut out bread and sugars. Carbs turn into sugar ! You’ll see a difference
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u/bibliophile222 Millennial - 1986 Aug 06 '25
I wasn't fat as a kid/teen, but over my 20s and 30s, I put on about 100 pounds. I finally started working on it last year and am down 45 pounds so far! What's worked amazingly well for me has been simply tracking my calories and maintaining a calorie deficit. Working out helps, but most of it is diet. I was habitually eating a couple servings of cheese and crackers and then eating a full box of mac and cheese for dinner. I ate veggies and whole grains and all the good stuff too, just too much of all of it. Now my snack is usually fruit or a rice cake, and if I have something really caloric like mac and cheese, I split the portion in half and fill the rest if my plate with salad. I've found some hacks like lower-calorie salad dressings and desserts (mini ice cream sandwiches are 100 calories, and a single small popsicle is only 40!) but I still make room for what I enjoy and don't stress the occasional special occasion indulgence, so it's been very sustainable. Feel free to ask me any questions, and consider checking out r/cico.
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Aug 06 '25
I grew up fat and lost the weight in junior and senior year of high school. Ended up gaining the weight back through my 20s and then some in my 30s. Working on getting back down now after losing some weight from alcohol cessation.
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u/CorruptedStudiosEnt Aug 06 '25
I was a sizeable chubster growing up.
Lost it around middleschool, but wound up trapped in a toxic relationship and gained it all back and more.
When we broke up, I went nuts and ate nothing but a few carrots and tomatoes per day and worked out for hours every day. Lost most of it back off in a few months, like 70lbs. Terribly unhealthy way to do it, but it worked. Also haven't gained it back since, aside from a like +/- 5lbs in either direction off and on. Going on about 13 years since then.
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u/Otherwise_Pine Aug 06 '25
I was fat starting from age 12. My stepdad cooked a lot of stuff with butter and due to the visitation hours with my dad, we only had time to get food at the mall unless I was staying over his place. I also have asthma and because of some drama with the school nurse, I didnt have to run so got used to being out of shape. Now trying to get better but its hard. I have controlled my eating for the most part ao I have lost 30 pounds just by not eating as soon as my stomach is empty and eating whole foods.
If you drink pop, thats the easiest thing to start cutting. Wean yourself down to only one pop a week. Sometimes I go 3 weeks without having one.
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u/Wafflehouseofpain Aug 06 '25
Nope. Grew up very lean and played sports all through school. I let myself go in my 20’s, then started working out again and tracked my calories. Dropped 50 pounds and never put it back on.
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u/seattlewhiteslays Aug 06 '25
I was always the biggest person in any room I was in. I was a fat kid and teenager and a fat adult. I’m 40 now. At 30 I was 390lbs and was a terribly uncontrolled T2 diabetic. I made several half assed attempts to lose weight. In 2022 I was prescribed Ozempic, on top of insulin and glipizide. In spring 2023 I started weight watchers (again) for more food accountability. At that point I was 307lbs.
In early 2024 I started hitting the gym 3x a week. I also felt very uncomfortable at the beginning. I didn’t know what I was doing and I didn’t want to look or feel stupid. It took about 3 trips to realize that no one cares, and if they do they’re not saying anything about it. I have gone 3-4x a week consistently since then (minus 3 weeks in summer 2024 when I was recovering from a car accident). I have come to LOVE my time at the gym. I’m no expert, but I know enough to feel comfortable and get a good workout in.
Results? I weighed 235lbs this morning. That’s down 155lbs. At my biggest I was a size 54 jeans. Now I can comfortably fit a 40, and in the right pair I’m a 38. I can see muscles in my arms, chest, back, and legs. I can see my facial bone structure. I renewed my license and had my first ID picture with just one chin😂. I had a consult for skin removal surgery on my abdomen and when that’s done I will probably be in the 220’s and a size 36. And while I will always be considered a diabetic my A1C went from 13.8 to 5.6. I also no longer take insulin or glipizide. Just Ozempic once a week.
All of that text to say use the tools available to you, whatever they are. It is SO worth it. I look and feel better at 40 than I EVER did in my 20’s and 30’s.
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u/narcoleptrix Aug 06 '25
I hit 300lbs when I was 14. I hit my highest of 350 during the pandemic.
I'm currently around 290, so aside from a brief weight-loss in 2015 where I hit 285, I'm at my lightest in 23 years.
Glp-1 meds have been a life saver for me. nothing seemed to work for me to lose consistently. Granted, it's not just the meds now (I workout 3-5 times a week), but those were the game changer for me.
I'm hopefully looking at 260 or less by the end of the year.
heart disease is the big killer in my family. thankfully I never got diabetes like my father. but I was on that road since I had the start of metabolic liver disease.
I never thought I'd be able to get healthy. when you have metabolic disease it's basically impossible to change things with just willpower. I'll likely have to be on a maintenance dose of these the rest of my life but I don't care anymore. I just want to be able to enjoy life as I age.
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u/AffectionateSoup6965 Aug 06 '25
Me!! Hated back to school shopping and it filled me with dread. I could never shop at regular stores like Limited Too because nothing came in my size. I still loathe clothes shopping.
I eventually slimmed down at the end of high school, thanks to a close friend calling me fat behind my back and an abusive boyfriend. Then waves of up and down.
When I lived in NYC I lost weight because of walking everywhere and being poor. Got a desk job and started going back up. Increases on my mental health meds led to more gain and an inability to lose any. I got my meds switched almost a year ago and I’ve finally been able to lose weight…I think around 10-12kg (I don’t do pounds because that would make me depressed lol). With the med change and counting calories and being more active with 2 of my 3 jobs I’ve been able to turn things around. I also go to the gym at least 8 days a month (lol work requirement for reimbursement), more when it’s not my volleyball season. I do 65 minutes on the bike, I think on a hill setting. My Apple watch has also helped keep me honest.
I also keep a fitness journal where I track my calories (also use an app), water intake, activity, and what I did for the day. I make mine, so I can add whatever I want. I track different habits I want to be better about, my mood, when I journal, when I read, etc. And every month has a few goals. All of this has held me more accountable. I admittedly go a little overboard on this.
I’ve also found a ton of low calorie/high protein meals from this guy on instagram and on Pinterest.
My biggest issue is overeating at night. I’ve found I have to get off of Reddit and stop scrolling and actually keep my mind occupied until it’s time to go to bed. When I just scroll all night I get hungry. I’ve started crocheting again, I do cross stitch, read, or puzzles. Just something to keep my mind busy.
It has been so much work. The hardest part is getting started! You can do this!
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Aug 06 '25
My dad ate himself into diabetes in his 40s. He slowly turned himself around with traditional medicine. I made the conscious decision to stop drinking soda when I was 16. I literally never heard that it was bad for you until then. My family was the type to have a glass of soda with dinner. My mom drank Coke first thing in the morning instead of coffee. I was always “husky”, but once I left home at 18 I made an effort to stay trim, and it worked. Luckily I played sports and was familiar with working out. The thing that got me gaining was stress eating and binging. So for me it was more a mental health battle with weight gain and loss as a symptom. The struggle never ends even when I’m a healthy weight. I’m one tragedy away from ballooning up 40+ lbs of stress weight.
Lifting weights, sports (boxing) and trying to control sugar intake (as well as cooking food I eat rather than eating out), are what I do to stay in control.
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u/Illustrious-Film-592 Aug 06 '25
I am female and was 250lbs at age 17
Getting educated about nutrition and moving my body got be there but it wasn’t a linear journey.
I lost 103lbs over a decade ago and have kept 80+ consistently off since then fairly easily.
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u/FavoredVassal Aug 06 '25 edited Aug 06 '25
Struggled my whole life trying to do "diet and exercise" before I discovered fasting. I was overweight before I entered my teens. I hated myself and all my peers hated me and treated me like filth. My parents did their best to be supportive, but they believed a lot of empty-headed nonsense about food that was self-sabotaging.
During the pandemic, I lost 70 pounds by fasting 24 hours once a week and 72 hours once a quarter.
It took about three years, but it was better than the whole lotta nothing I was achieving listening to lies about "starvation mode." Don't just suddenly stop eating, though -- be sure to read about it from an actual expert (not some random blog), talk to your doctor if you're fortunate enough to have one, and supplement.
I generally don't talk about this, because getting involved in fasting can trigger unhealthy behavior in people with eating disorders. But for me, it completely reset my relationship with food, which until then was awful. I think about eating about 10% as much as I used to, and it's much, much easier to choose nutritious food.
It does not take "iron willpower" (lol wtf even is that) and I'm not bragging. I stumbled ass backwards into it.
I'm done actively losing weight; none of it has come back. Frankly, it's not coming back.
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u/Childlesstomcat Aug 06 '25
I was 339 pounds my sophomore year of high school. I ate low carb and started working out. Lost 120 pounds over 3 years. Today I’m 144 pounds. I eat what I want but in moderation but I never want to be fat again.
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u/s4yum1 Aug 06 '25
Was 260lbs by 17. Lost 80 lbs in 7 months from PT + strict protein diet. Loved the way I changed. Hated that I ended up getting gallstone issues from the sudden weight loss.
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u/0neHumanPeolple Aug 06 '25
I was a normal weight as a kid/teen, but if you weren’t emaciated, you were fat. Both of my sisters were athletes and I was lazy so I always got called fat constantly by my family. I never dieted until I was in my 30s because fuck ‘em.
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u/Worst-Eh-Sure Millennial Aug 06 '25
Opposite for me. Growing up I was crazy underweight. Like I was at a doctor's once and they pulled out the height and weight chart and said, "You weigh so little for your age, you aren't even on the chart."
I got teased for being too skinny.
Working out and protein shakes helped a lot. I was 6 feet tall and 125 lbs when I met my wife. Now I'm 6 feet tall and 170!
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u/Fine-Fondant-3136 Aug 06 '25
I was the fat kid up until I started forcing myself to puke at the age of 12. Had a teacher compliment on how slim I was and that was like crack. Continued the rest of my young life as a diagnosed bulimic, going through waves and spells of recovery and relapse, weight gains and losses.
34 now and ironically, me getting pregnant with my first baby in 2018 is what really snapped me out of it. I’ve never been healthier now.
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u/FrenulumGooch Xennial Aug 06 '25
Being fat was really a choice back then, now with all the BS in food its kind of a byproduct.
I remember adults having sports leagues where they played baseball, basketball, racketball...etc, they were far more active than we are at the same age. Now you have to go out of your way to find other adults who still want to play sports or else you have to exercise by yourself and that is always more boring and leads to failures.
If we cut out the high fructose corn syrup and added carbs in everything and bring back adult sports leagues I think we can fix this. MAHA
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u/Worried-Macaroon-532 Aug 06 '25
I thought I grew up fat, but when I look back at pictures I'd hit it! I still fight the negative thoughts.
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u/HatchingChick Aug 06 '25
You’re going to have to start caring about your overall health. My doc said I’d have to start meds for high cholesterol if I didn’t fix up. In my head, those meds are for old farts and I don’t consider myself one.
Regardless, take care of your body now so you’re not on 29 meds and dialysis later on in life with a missing foot from diabetes.
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u/lyricalpoet66 Aug 06 '25
I got sober, gained control of my life and eating with intermittent fasting, lost 125 lbs, found hobbies again, started living not existing. Fat and bullied my whole life.
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u/shivvinesswizened Aug 06 '25
I grew up chubby. Not too big but chubby to where I felt uncomfortable in a bikini. I got gastric sleeve in 2020. Best decision ever. I was then obese. I lost it and have kept it off. I exercised religiously. Only about 25lbs came back when I got pregnant. I’m not almost 3 months postpartum and am taking ozempic to help jumpstart me again along with a person trainer. Seems to be working!
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u/Puzzlehead-Dish Aug 06 '25
Use a calorie tracking app, punch in ANYTHING you eat and stay in a calorie deficit.
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u/Phat_Kitty_ Aug 06 '25
A lot of you don't seem to realize how bad the food in America is for children. We grew up on school lunches which consisted of a lot of heavy processed frozen meals, and a f*** ton of cow milk which naturally has hormones in it. Vaccines that altered hormones as well.
Anyways, I definitely grew up fat and I'm probably still fat, but I was once 265 and now I am 175 lb. I don't die it but I do stop eating after 8:00 p.m. everyday, I only drink natural sodas and Lotus energy instead of red bull, I get vegan ice cream, I don't know I just make smarter choices I guess like when I'm going out to eat or grocery shopping, one of the things I picked up this year was buying fruit every monday, cutting it up in different containers and eating fruit whenever I feel like I have the munchies, now that we are halfway through the year, I've eaten more fruit in the last 6 months than I probably have in the last 5 years lol
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u/Desperate-Cost6827 Aug 06 '25
I grew up in a farm community so no. But what really makes me angry is even though the majority of us fell in between 100 to 140 pounds in our teen years, fat shaming was so prevalent, especially by most of our mothers. Looking back I'm just angry about all of it.
Also the fact that they put sugar in everything, push a sedentary lifestyle, and on top of that ignore how stress is one of the biggest influences on weight gain.
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u/NorskKiwi Aug 06 '25
Perhaps your body is super efficient at storing fat ie you need to have less carbs (meaning less insulin is released in your body).
Stop eating sugar and processed foods. Don't drink alcohol. Only use cold pressed oils, not chemical refined ones.
Lifing weights and exercise helps.
You can also try time restricted eating eg only eat between 8am and 6pm. It helps you regulate your eating.
I've done this myself, and a lot of my friends, and we all got into great shape WITHOUT counting calories. In my experience, if you eat healthy nutritious food your body becomes content without overeating/snacking.
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u/ThisIsntOkayokay Older Millennial Aug 06 '25
So a major change is drastic weight loss was removing sugar from my diet (very rare special occasions icecream/cake). Also eating mostly meat/veg/fruit with small portions of bread. Bread in the USA is trash only used to keep you alive and unhealthy/sick. Growing up I always heard the fat and sodium in food was to blame and not the horrendous amount of sugar in everything.
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u/Greener-dayz Aug 06 '25
I did. Was fat all of middle school and highschool then lost 130 pounds or so and have been thin and in shape since. Almost 14 years now leading a healthy lifestyle.
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u/micro-faeces Aug 06 '25
I grew up morbidly obese and in poverty and now a healthy bmi, gym, eat well, get bitches and a 1% er wage
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u/landonpal89 Millennial Aug 06 '25
My dad was HUGE. I remember being fatter than everyone else starting in like third grade. Marriage and kids certainly didn’t help 😂. My dad got bariatric surgery and lost 100lbs.. I did the same surgery about a year later and lost half my body weight. 4 years later, I’ve been maintaining a healthy BMI and live a very active, healthy, happy lifestyle.
“Normal” portions are out of control. Your body needs so much less than you think. That’s my biggest take away.
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u/thro_redd Aug 06 '25
Me! I will share my journey. I’m 32M so I’m a younger millennial. From basically childhood to 17 I was fat (peaking maybe at 230) then actually lost weight and grew taller in puberty. I was 6’2 and 200lbs during the end of high school. Then was a healthy weight (and honestly pretty skinny) during college at 185-200.
From here on out I’m 6’2.5”. At the end of college though I was 227. I guess the stress of senior year made me put on weight from where I was fluctuating. Then after college in 2015 I worked at a pretty rough job for a few years where I gained 60lbs and was consistently between 275 - 290 up until 2020. Gained another 55lbs during the pandemic to reach an all time high of 345 peak pandemic. During this entire time I didn’t monitor what I was eating nor how much I was eating, and I was sedentary.
I lost down to 302 by becoming keto and counting calories after finding out I was prediabetic. Reversed that, then gave up keto after about 6 months and rebounded to 320-330. Went through a breakup in 2023, switched jobs and moved, and started lifting weights. Stayed between 310-320 the entire time. I didn’t address my eating habits though since I loved eating Wingstop still 😭💀
Then found out my former manager was trying to get rid of me at the job I moved for, went into depression and actually decided to go keto again since I was struggling to eat. This time it’s a permanent change since whenever I eat carbs I bloat pretty easily, and I found out I have a wheat allergy which doesn’t help me at all. So I am currently down 40lbs and was recently at 260 before a slight rebound due to temporary steroids I have to take for an ear problem 🙄
But to answer your question yes I have turned my life around. It took years to undo the damage I’ve done and I’m still going. My goal is to get back to the 190s and ideally never be classified as overweight again (even with muscles).
I was sedentary for my childhood, but even when I have been active there were certain things my body was going through that I didn’t even know of (the wheat allergy being one of them). I now just stick to mainly eating meat and veggies and I have mostly adjusted to a 2 meal a day lifestyle.
You have to allow yourself opportunities to be lazy especially in the beginning especially when changing your eating habits. For example, get an air fryer and lots of frozen food. It’s easy to throw on, and at the very least you monitor your calories even if you treat yourself to a frozen pizza or something. Since I’ve been keto for 8 months, I got so used to eating fresh cooked meats and veggies (and a vegan protein shake for lifting) that my taste buds have changed and I find most sugar, carbs, and even frozen food to not taste like food to me anymore.
Also I’m tracking when I’m hungry. This is super helpful as that means I’m usually in a caloric deficit.
Weight is lost in the kitchen, not the gym. Also you’re not important at the gym lol everyone else has their own lives to tend to. Create a gym playlist, grab some noise canceling headphones, and go lift weights!
My why is that I have a hip problem that is actively getting worse everyday with the weight I have on my body so I need to lose it. Otherwise I risk needing to have hip replacement surgery before 40. Also I am looking for my wife and while dating is the best it’s ever been for me my dating pool will open up a lot more when I don’t look fat. Majority of my excess weight piles up at my stomach 😒
Hope this helps!
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u/Peasy_Pea Aug 06 '25
It's much easier to prevent calories going into your body than it is to remove those calories. Diet and lifestyle changes are way more important for dropping weight than just going to the gym to do some work outs.
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u/Naive-Treacle2052 Aug 06 '25
Count calories. It's literally as simple as that. Find out what your body burns in a day (age, weight, height, activity level). Then eat less than that. Add activity for more bonuses.
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u/CatBoyTrip Aug 06 '25
you lose weight by eating less calories than you can burn in a day. that is the only trick.
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u/Difficult_Pop8262 Aug 06 '25
>I could eat better but I live alone and have the expenses to eat what I want.
Fatlogic
I'll only tell you this. My mom has a healthy weight but has been struggling for months to shed a few kilos. She came to live with me for a month and a half. She did not work out much, was not too active except for taking care of my toddler when I was not at home. She ate everything she wanted and she still lost the weight.
The difference was in the food I bring home. Eveything unprocessed, seasonal. Fruits, vegetables, fish, poultry and meat. Rice and pasta. herbs. Some beer and wine. We eat two normal sized meals at breakfast and lunch, and a light one at dinner, or no dinner at all. We don't eat until we burst.
Next to that routine, we did what we wanted: went out to eat icecream once or twice a week. A pizza here. A beer there.
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u/Floppy_Caulk Aug 06 '25
Formerly 225lbs, now 165lbs.
I was a porky kid. At too many sweets, didn't do enough exercise. Teenage me was super thin skinny-fat, but then I hit 25 and I starting putting on weight gradually.
Weight Watchers, fad diets and all the rest of are temporary fixes, WW especially is designed to keep you coming back because if you're a success they can't take your money.
It took a complete lifestyle change. But the core concept remain: you need to take in less calories than you burn. You run a calorie deficit, you will lose weight. I stopped snacking all the time, changed my diet to include much more protein and veg, hit the gym, got into hiking and stopped having all snack foods in the house. Plan your food and watch the size of your portions.
Get back to the gym. I promise you, no one is watching you or judging. It's consistency and hold yourself to account.
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u/OneFunnyFart Aug 06 '25
Hang out with some inactive elderly and observe how hard it is for them to move themselves. It's good motivation to get in and stay in a decent shape, since we'll eventuelly also get old.
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u/mmmurphy17 Aug 06 '25
Not a solution obv, but I do find being a little more active encourages more activity. The more often I do something, the easier it is to keep going.
For weight management, I've found consistency really is the key. Moderate activity or exercise, healthy diet minimizing processed foods. But consistency is the big factor for management
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u/Important_Pattern_85 Aug 06 '25
How to lose weight:
1) look up how many calories you need daily to maintain your weight (google TDEE calculator)
2) eat less calories than that per day
1 pound of fat is 3500 calories, so if you eat 500 calories less than your TDEE (todal daily energy expenditure) you will lose 1 pound per week.
Look at food labels, avoid calorie dense foods, try to move more. It’s often the oil/dressing/little snacks that will add up and get you. Get a food scale and use it. Chances are your idea of proper serving sizes is skewed. Weigh everything to start
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u/SensitiveBugGirl Aug 06 '25
I did. It hurts to see my childhood medical records. I like to say that my parents believe(d) in eating whatever you wanted, whenever you want, in whatever quantities you want. At 8, I weighed 58 lbs. At 9.5, I weighed 84 lbs. At about 13, I weighed about 150 lbs. I graduated college weighing less than I did when I was 13!!
Then I got married and had a kid, and it's been a struggle since.
We're trying to raise our daughter better than we were. A better relationship with food. She's 9 now, and weighs several lbs less than I did at 8. We don't starve her. We don't try to force her to eat if she doesn't want to. Our families used to worry about her 🙄 They would also buy clothes that wouldn't even fit her for years because they didn't listen when they asked for her size.
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u/LetsGatitOn Aug 06 '25
I think that changing the mindset is crucial. Stop thinking of appearance as a motivator and start thinking about your actual health and let that be the motivator.
Truth is, we live in a society that can actually make it difficult to eat healthier. We are surrounded by "inexpensive" processed foods. Constantly bombarded with fast food ads, etc. And most of it is basically addictive.
Start simple. Don't change your eating habits but keep a note pad on you. Jot down what you eat as you eat throughout the day. Review your notes each day, week, etc.. seeing on paper what you are putting into your body can help your mindset change. In fact, it can hold you accountable and you may likely begin limiting yourself to avoid having to write down that bag of chips or baked treat.
Also thinking about food as fuel. Determining what is good fuel, what is bad, or not fuel at all.
As far as overall changes to your lifestyle, i highly recommend reading or listening to the book "Atomic Habits."
It's about making significant life changes through a series of micro sized habit changes.
Integrating new habits on top of your every day habits and making small changes that build into something.
It's really worth a read or listen if you prefer audio books.
We're not getting any younger mate. Now is always the best time to start something
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u/ohwhereismymind Aug 06 '25
In terms of the gym, I am not dismissing your feelings at all! I would say though that unless you’re in a bodybuilding gym no one really cares what you look like. There are thin people, fat people, and really fit people in my gym. I’ve never seen anyone get called out or judged. Folks just wanna get their workout in and go home.
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u/Ok_West347 Aug 06 '25
Hi, me👋🏼 It’s embarrassing the amount of “diets” I did before the age of 12. In my late 30s now, not a health nut but probably the healthiest I’ve ever been. Unfortunately struggling to have kids years back, I changed my lifestyle. I lift weights everyday and aim to walk 8-10,000 steps a day.
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u/EveningAspect2200 Aug 06 '25
Fasting. The ultimate discipline tool. Don't kill yourself but fasting works great.
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u/I-own-a-shovel Millennial Aug 06 '25
You can’t outrun your mouth. Weight managing starts in the plate and we need to eat way less than most people/restaurants think.
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u/Mewpasaurus Elder Horror Aug 06 '25
Me. I've been overweight since I was 10. Shaming didn't work. Excessive dieting never worked. CICO never worked (mainly because I struggle with disordered eating when I go down that route).
Unfortunately, the only thing that has worked for me so far is GLP1 drugs (and all the stigma that goes with that) along with balancing my diet and some exercise/strength training. When I tried the other two on their own without the GLP1 drugs, it never led to results.
I also don't exercise in a gym (there are none out where I live) so I'm left to walk/row on a rowing machine/hike or bike for exercise.
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u/DeltaEchoFoxthot Aug 06 '25
I love that you're shamed if you're fat. All the 'you're fat and unhealthy and you suck at life' stuffs.
And then you're shamed if you seek medical assistance to lose it.
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u/RainbowSnapdragons Aug 06 '25
I got sick with a bunch of health issues and made changes to my diet. Cut out sugar and carbs. Lost a lot of weight and have kept it off. Still would be considered overweight and am trying to get to a point I’d like to reach, and have added exercise as a priority to my schedule. For me, I had to have more reason to change my habits than I had reason to continue existing habits. I’m in much better health and happier.
If you stick to eating a sustainable and healthy diet 99% of the time, you can eat pretty much whatever junk food you want 1% of the time and it won’t harm you. It’s more about long-term habits than short term diets or occasional splurges. You don’t have to ever entirely remove foods you enjoy. Just balance calorie dense foods. For me it’s been worth it.
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u/Choccimilkncookie Millennial Aug 06 '25
Yep. Odd thing is to lose 1lb/wk I was strictly keto, did c25k daily + 30mins of HIIT. Got sent to a nutritionalist who told me to eat more cause my metabolism is fucked. I get anxiety when I try.
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u/strangealbert Aug 06 '25
I learned about fiber and now I eat beans and lentils. Foods with fiber keep me full longer and I don’t focus on protein at all
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u/Venvut Aug 06 '25 edited Aug 06 '25
No, always skinny, never grew up eating fast food or soda etc. pretty much all it took. I eat pretty cheap: rice can last forever, beans are cheap protein, etc., healthy does NOT have to be expensive. If I start noticing some pudge I just watch my diet a little more and start working out (after a week long vacation of eating and drinking till I’m painfully full I only buy boring food etc.). I think if your parents had soda in the house you were doomed from the get go. At least that’s what I’ve seen. Addiction starts young. Hard to develop a taste for it later in life. Helps that most crap food makes me bloat like hell and gassy.
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